Dover Post 8’s Ryan Cordeiro, left, and Ryan Hayden have made for a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. (Doyle/Democrat photo)

DOVER — Ryan Hayden has played in regional baseball tournaments before, but this is the first time he feels like he earned it.

“This is the first time I’ve ever won my way into a regional tournament,” said Hayden, the left fielder for the Dover Senior American Legion Post 8 baseball team. “A lot of my teammates too, so this is a lot of fun. When I was 12, on my first all-star team, they took the first-place, second-place and third-place team in the state tournament to the regionals. We were second.”

Post 8 will begin play in the Northeast Regional tournament today against Rocky Hill-Cromwell-Portland (Conn.) Post 105 in the second game of a morning doubleheader at William J. Pomfret Stadium in Middletown, Conn. Post 8 punched its ticket last week when it beat Derry 3-2 for the Senior state title at Holman Stadium. The first game is at 9:30 a.m.

Hayden and his fellow Ryan, third baseman Ryan Cordeiro, have provided the spark at the top of the Dover lineup all summer. To their teammates, the two Ryans are known as “R-Squared.”

Hayden, who batted second for the Dover High School team that was the No. 1 seed in the Division I tournament, bats first.

“I always liked leading off,” said Hayden, who has struck out just five times this season. “I led off when I was 15 in the all-star tournament. I like it. I get to see the first pitches, I like to draw long at-bats and see as many pitches as possible so that the other guys behind me can get on. A nice six-, seven-pitch at-bat is ideal.”

Cordeiro hit leadoff for Somersworth High School, which made it to the D-III championship game, and is in the second slot in the lineup for Post 8.

“The goal is for Ryan to get on and for me to push him over,” Cordeiro said, “and our 3-4 batters to get us in. That’s the plan we’ve been working on all year.”

It’s a plan that’s worked well for Post 8, which brings an 18-5 record into today’s game. Hayden is hitting .339 with 13 walks and 12 runs scored, while Cordeiro is a .261 hitter with 10 runs scored.

“Hayden is a very intelligent hitter,” Post 8 coach Jake Bishop said. “I’ve said many times, if he strikes out or grounds out, he’s usually worked the count up, and he’ll come back and talk about what he saw and help the other guys.”

Equally as selective with pitches as Hayden, Cordeiro has struck out just seven times.

“Cordeiro just gets the bat on the ball,” Bishop said. “He always puts the ball into play. And he can bunt. They’re a very good combination.”

Hayden embraces the role of leadoff hitter, and not just because getting on base increases Post 8’s scoring chances. Hayden sees it as a chance to set the tone of the game and give his teammates who bat deeper in the lineup to get a feel for the tendencies of the pitcher.

“I’m usually pretty conservative,” said Hayden. “If I get on base in the first inning, I try not to get picked off, but I try to see the pitcher’s move. Maybe if he gives me his weaker move, I try to take an extra half step to try to draw the better throw so my teammates can see it behind me.”

Though the Ryans play for different high schools, they have played youth baseball together for various teams growing up. Their unique bond goes beyond the normal camaraderie of teammates.

“He’s been in the big games, he knows how to hit the ball well,” Hayden said. “We always see each other eye-to-eye. I like having him on third base. Whenever we have a guy on second or third, then he always points out to me that he has me on the cut. We always seem to know what the other is going to do.”

Cordeiro said hitting in the No. 2 slot is a little easier knowing his longtime friend is there to set the table.

“I always feel confident going into each game, knowing he’s going to get on base for me,” Cordeiro said.

New Hampshire requires its American Legion teams to play with wood, but no such restrictions are in place for the regional tournament. Hayden said the switch back to metal bats, which both players used in the high-school season, will probably be more noticeable on defense than offense.

“It’s definitely going to play off a little differently,” Hayden said. “It’ll affect me more personally, along with Jared (Gagne) and Aaron (Denis) in the outfield, because the ball’s going to have a little more pop off it. We’ll probably have to play a few feet deeper.”

Dover has had more than a week of practice to get back into the metal-bat groove.

“We’ve been out here almost every day working with the metal bats,” Cordeiro said. “We’ve had the whole high school season to use metal too. I think the transfer from metal to wood was harder than going back to metal from wood.”

“It’ll really affect me on bunting,” Hayden said. “With a wooden bat, you can stab at it and it can die. But with a metal bat, you get a pop off it and it rolls away.”